Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Homemade Ranch Dressing and a Book Review #LitHappens

This herby, tangy buttermilk dressing takes only minutes to make, costs less than the bottled version and contains only ingredients that you can pronounce.  This recipe gives you two cups of dressing that will be good for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.  Or so they say....mine never lasts that long.

Ranch Dressing

It is perfect for dressing salads, putting on sandwiches or dipping vegetables for a snack.  I used some of this batch to cream some cucumbers and onions so I left it thick.  Then I put it in the refrigerator and packed it in the Teen's lunchbox with carrot and celery sticks before adding a little more buttermilk to it for dressing a salad.

No Exit

I just finished reading No Exit by Taylor Adams for our #LitHappens online book club.  We take turns choosing a book for the others to join us in reading and then post some discussion questions on our facebook page for those who decided to join in.

There are no requirements and anyone can join us.  The more, the merrier the discussions.  Some of us in the group became friends because we are food bloggers and belong to other groups together.  One of those groups is called Cook the Books and we all are required to make a recipe that was inspired by the book that we read. Yesterday I posted a recipe for Syrniki along with my review of the novel, Red Sparrow.  

Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures is hosting Lit Happens this month and chose this thriller about 4 strangers who are stranded in a rest area during a torrential blizzard that has the entire area at a standstill.  

The protagonist, Darby, discovers that one of the strangers is a psychopathic kidnapper who has a child locked in a dog cage in the back of a van.  There is no phone service and her vehicle is disabled due to the weather.  This leaves only her determination and wits to figure out who the kidnapper is and how she is going to save the child and herself without endangering the others who are innocent......or are they?

A movie version of this novel was released on February 25th and it has gotten pretty good reviews.  I hope to see it soon.

creamed cucumbers

This novel had very little food mentioned, other than coffee, red bull  and fast food.  At one point, Darby is hiding under blankets next to the girl who was kidnapped when the bad guy enters the van to warm it up.  While in there he lets rip several rounds of gas.  When he leaves the kidnapping victim tells Darby that he "farts a lot" and that she thinks these farts are the result of the fact that he "puts ranch dressing on everything he eats".

Ranch Dressing with Veggies

So I decided to share this recipe, adapted from Pioneer Woman, with you today.  I don't know that it will cause you to have flatulence, but I'm pretty sure you will love it and start serving in on everything you eat.

 
sauces, dressings, ranch, this and that, salads
Dressings, sauces
American
Yield: 16 servings
Author: A Day in the Life on the Farm
Homemade Ranch Dressing

Homemade Ranch Dressing

This herby, tangy buttermilk dressing takes only minutes to make, costs less than the bottled version and contains only ingredients that you can pronounce. This recipe gives you two cups of dressing that will be good for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. Or so they say....mine never lasts that long.




Prep time: 10 MinInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 10 M

Ingredients

  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 c. miracle whip
  • 1/2 c. sour cream
  • handful of parsley leaves
  • handful of dill leaves
  • 4-5 fresh chives
  • 1 t. Worcestershire sauce
  • 3-4 grinds fresh black pepper
  • dash of vinegar
  • dash of hot sauce
  • 1/4 buttermilk + more as desired

Instructions

  1. Place the garlic, salt, Miracle Whip, sour cream, parsley, dill, chives, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, vinegar and hot pepper sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and combined. Add 1/4 cup buttermilk and process until smooth.
  2. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until ready to use. This will be a thick dressing perfect for creamed vegetables and/or as a dip. Add buttermilk, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency to dress salads.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe by Ree Drummond on the Food Network.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

28.96

Fat (grams)

1.83

Sat. Fat (grams)

0.83

Carbs (grams)

3.1

Fiber (grams)

0.38

Net carbs

2.72

Sugar (grams)

1.92

Protein (grams)

0.26

Sodium (milligrams)

135.56

Cholesterol (grams)

5.67

2 comments:

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